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My friend Xue Wenhuang, courtesy name Langzhai, was from Tongzhou and had long been knowledgeable in medicine. In the second month of the 10th year of the Daoguang era, he came to my residence to bid farewell as he was about to travel to Shandong. During our casual conversation, we discussed ancient theories regarding the Zang-Fu organs. I stated that blood is transformed from essence fluids entering the "Blood Mansion" (Xue Fu); the Heart is merely the pathway for the entry and exit of Qi, and contains no blood within it. Langzhai said, "What you say is not factual; the hearts of all creatures contain blood, why should the human heart be an exception?" I asked, "Which creature's heart do you refer to as containing blood?" He replied, "In ancient prescriptions, there is 'Suixin Dan' used to treat mania and epilepsy, made by mixing Kansui powder with pig heart blood into pills. Is this not proof that the pig heart contains blood?" I said, "This is an error by ancients; it is not blood originally inside the heart. When the heart is pierced by a knife, blood from the chest cavity flows into the heart, creating the illusion that the heart itself holds blood. If one does not pierce the heart, there is actually no blood inside. I have observed this many times. Observe those who slaughter sheep: when they sever the neck without piercing the heart, the heart inside remains devoid of blood." He then asked, "If the heart is not pierced, why does death occur so rapidly?" I explained, "Because the entire volume of blood flows out through the incision, the initial flow is rapid; subsequently, blood from the rest of the body retreats into the chest cavity, making the later flow slower. When blood is exhausted and Qi dissipates, death occurs swiftly. Similarly, if a person suffers severe trauma from a fight, excessive bleeding leads to dissipation of Qi and loss of Blood, gradually resulting in convulsions. The ancients named this condition 'Po Shang Feng' (Broken Injury Wind) and treated it with wind-dispelling herbs, which caused the injured patient to die. According to law, the attacker should face capital punishment, but such treatment effectively kills two people for every one attempted to be saved. If one understands the principle of 'Qi dissipation and Blood loss,' one would use Astragali Radix (Huangqi) half a jin, Codonopsis Radix (Dangshen)..."

I deny the existence of the Sanjiao (Triple Burner) because it lacks physical reality. Externally, it corresponds to the head, face, limbs, and systemic blood vessels; internally, it is divided into upper and lower segments by the diaphragm. Stasis above the diaphragm constitutes stasis in the chest region; therefore, I formulated Xuefu Zhuyu Tang (Blood Mansion Stasis-Expelling Decoction) to treat blood stasis in the chest Blood Mansion; and Gexia Zhuyu Tang (Below Diaphragm Stasis-Expelling Decoction) to treat abdominal blood stasis. Diseases manifest in thousands of forms; my book cannot be regarded as a comprehensive medical text. For theoretical verification, one may consult Wang Kentang's Zhengzhi Zhunsheng (Standardized Diagnosis and Treatment); for formula verification, Zhu Su's Puji Fang (Universal Effective Prescriptions); and for materia medica verification, Li Shizhen's Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica). These three works are indeed the sources of medicine. Also worthy of study are the Yizong Jinjian (Golden Mirror of Medicine) of our dynasty, which possesses sound principles and effective formulas, and Wu Youke's Wenyi Lun (Treatise on Pestilential Diseases). Other renowned physicians, although they failed to correctly identify the Zang-Fu anatomy, employed methods of attacking pathogens, releasing the exterior, tonifying deficiency, and draining excess, many of which proved effective. How dare I claim to have authored a definitive medical work? I merely recorded several cases of Qi deficiency and blood stasis that I commonly treated, following the completion of the "Zang-Fu Diagram Record" in *Yilin Gaicuo*, to provide guidelines for others. It is not a complete medical encyclopedia. Those who fail to read properly and mistake my book for a comprehensive medical text are not misled by me, but rather misinterpret my intent.